McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts Both Issue Statements About Gun Carry in Their Stores

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This week Starbucks issued a statement requesting that customers no longer carry weapons into their stores.

The coffee giant stopped short of an outright ban, and also said customers carrying weapons will not be asked to leave.

However, many gun owners saw this as the company taking a step towards the anti-gun side of the debate on gun carry.

Now two other popular national companies have clarified their stance on customers carrying firearms in their stores.

Both McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts issued statements saying their stores and franchises will abide by local and state laws in regards to customers carrying firearms.

Recently, however, we’ve seen the “open carry” debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called “Starbucks Appreciation Days” that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of “open carry.” To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.

For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.

I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request—and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on. Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose “open carry,” we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.